application [thisaccident]
The Player
Name/Nickname: Tori
Personal LJ: araphen
IM: mad circuitry
E-mail: shot_thecircuit@yahoo.com
Past Experiences: I'm clean in all the ways that count, ba-dum tiiiish.
Other Characters: N/A
The Character
Character Name: "Rojo" [a.k.a. "Courier #6"]
Character Journal: mojavemettle
Canon: Rojo is from the world of Fallout, a post-apocalyptic future in which civilization is struggling to reorganize itself. He specifically comes from Fallout: New Vegas, set in the year 2281, working as a courier for the Mojave Express who gets sucked into some unfortunate circumstances he wasn't exactly interested in being involved in.
Age: 36
Race: Human.
Timeline: After Benny flees from the Tops casino to take the Platinum Chip to Fortification Hill (post "Ring-a-Ding-Ding!")
Abilities/Powers: There is nothing supernatural to speak of about Rojo; he's entirely human from head to toe. Any abilities he has or anything he does, no matter how incredible, is well within human capabilities. The only thing that could be considered even close to supernatural might be his streak of luck, something that's kept him alive when he should have died and made his life a lot easier than it could have been. Other than that, he's extremely proficient with all things explosives, as well as handguns and conventional long-range firearms. He's at his best when he's got distance between him and his target and a sniper rifle in his hands, but he can also jury-rig a mine when needed and he's at least decent in hand-to-hand combat. No master at it, certainly, or even professionally trained, but enough to beat up other untrained thugs when needed. Or even to just buy himself enough time to get some distance between him and his enemy.
Power Limitations: I don't really believe he has anything that would really be notable enough to require limitation.
Inventory: x5 Stimpaks
x1 Machete
x1 Sniper rifle
x1 Whiskey
And a lot of caps. (WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T PAY FOR THINGS IN BOTTLECAPS???)
Personality: Rojo can be described, in the simplest terms, as a social butterfly. He's an easy conversationalist with a disarming smile, not at all opposed to striking up a friendly chat with a random stranger when he feels the urge. He likes talking and interacting with people, making them feel at ease if he can. But the 'butterfly' keeps him from making long-term attachments; he's constantly traveling from place to place, seeing new faces everywhere, so it's not worth the effort when he likely will never see someone again. Still, no reason not to share some words over a drink or two at the bar, right? It's a good way to get info too, among other things.
Naturally charismatic and charming, Rojo isn't above using this to get what he wants or needs, whether it's money, info or something else, and then beating a quick retreat. Still, he's a decent guy and tries not to make a habit of this; if he does charm something out of someone, he at least will try to return the favor in some way, whether it's helping out with some task or just buying a round for them. The only exceptions are in the cases of people who are jerks or otherwise assholes - in that case, he feels no shame in skipping the charm to go straight into intimidation and then running off. He can be something of a cold bastard when he really needs to be or when he feels someone's behavior calls for it.
His skill and luck, how he's been raised off the land, everything he's survived and all the kills he's made - it results in a good amount of confidence. He takes pride in his abilities and isn't adverse to showing off if he gets the chance. This can give him something of a smart mouth at times as well, and also means he puts on a front when things have reached frightening or disturbing levels for him; good luck seeing past his poker face to figure that out, though. It also makes him something of a risk taker, a gambler with the odds, both at the casinos and out - but he always remains conscientious of the safety of himself and others. Or tries.
He subscribes to a school of thought he's been raised with since childhood - 'protect your own'. Whether it's just himself and his worldly treasures, his family or people he has, somehow, formed strong bond with, it means protecting that and them above everything else. He will not get himself and the ones he cares for involved in a situation that doesn't concern them unnecessarily, not unless he can be completely certain no/minimal harm will come to them. He's not heartless, but he's also not willing to risk those he cares for to stick his neck out for people he doesn't know. In this respect, he doesn't like getting mixed up in business that he thinks is bigger than him - convoluted plans for Vegas included. Conversely, this means that if you fuck with him or someone he cares for? He'll be gunning to take your head as a trophy. It also means he can be something of a really bad grudge-bearer when it comes down to it. Just ask Benny about it.
When you get on his bad side, Rojo can be downright cold and malicious. He's not at all adverse to the idea of killing, and he also knows that sometimes, there really are fates worse than death. At the very least, he believes wholeheartedly that the punishment should fit the crime when it comes down to it and tries not to deal out more than he believes someone deserves, and unless he's hired or specifically ask edhe will not deal out punishment to people who have not wronged him or those he cares for, unless they stand to do just that in the future. He knows all of his actions have consequences, especially in the wasteland, and tries to make sure all of his are worth the potential consequences.
But sometimes, sometimes - some things are worth any consequence.
History: "Rojo", as he introduces himself to anybody who asks, was born in a little community in New Mexico in 2246 to a couple who were trying to live as decent a life as one could get in the post-war US. Something of a difficult task, when all around them were various tribes warring in the day-to-day, often attacking caravans passing from one town to another, but they did what they could - and taught any raiders who thought them an easy target a lesson they weren't likely to forget. His father worked as a hunter/trader, helping to bring food and clothing material to the town, while his mother was a seamstress. And for a while it was just fine, until word started getting around of a tribe going around conquering and absorbing other tribes, amassing and growing. At first his parents dismissed the rumors, figuring they would be taken out soon enough; that was just how tribes were. But when they weren't, when rumors began to circulate of them actually heading toward New Mexico?
Well, the family heeded it, packing up what they could and fleeing into Texas. The state was in worse shape than New Mexico from the bombs that had hit it, but they managed to settle in well enough and scratch out something of a decent living off the land. Better yet, it was never bothered by the tribal army that would eventually become known and feared as Caesar's Legion.
It was from his father that Rojo learned his way around guns and explosives, his mother how to repair things like clothing, and from both of them came the knowledge of how to live off the land. When he came of age and skill he began accompanying caravans and travelers as protection, an escort service and gun-for-hire in one, working to help support his family as they took care of things back home. When he hit Nevada and the Mojave, he decided to sign up with the Mojave Express on the side, adding courier to his resume.
It's this decision that lead to all the shit he's now involved in.
One fateful day, Rojo was called to Primm and hired to carry a rather strange package; a gambling chip made out of solid platinum, to be delivered to a "Mr. House" on the New Vegas Strip. The money was good, and it seemed a harmless enough job, so he accepted - only to be intercepted around Goodsprings by a man in a checkered suit and two companions. The man in the checkered suit was named Benny, and he would become something of an obsession for Rojo after stealing his package, putting two bullets in his head and leaving him for dead in a shallow grave in Goodsprings cemetery.
The attack didn't kill Rojo in the end, by some incredible stroke of luck, and he was saved by a Securitron named Victor who dug him up and brought him to Dr. Mitchell in Goodsprings to be fixed up. He woke up in Goodsprings, as healed as he was going to get from his near-brush with death, taken care of by the kindly doctor who gave him some things for the road and potential leads to his attackers before seeing him off. He stuck around Goodsprings for a while, making sure he was fit for the road, helping out around town and gathering information, but eventually he took to the road once more. His destination? Primm.
Except Primm was undergoing some turmoil of its own, overrun by escaped convicts from the nearby NCR holding facility. Learning from Johnson Nash that the convicts had killed the Sheriff and taken the Deputy hostage, he took to clearing out the town to help the citizens and saved Beagle, the Deputy - who gave him more info on Benny in exchange for Rojo deciding to help the town find itself a new Sheriff. The man he chose for the job was Meyers, arrested by the NCR for taking a little too of the law into his own hands but who seemed to be accepted as a good choice by the citizens. Traveling to the NCR correctional facility to the north, where the convicts had originally escaped from, he spoke to Meyers who said he'd take on the job - but only after he got a pardon from the NCR. With the Mojave Outpost on the way to where he was heading anyway, Rojo agreed and convinced Major Knight to give him the requested pardon, then delivered it back to Meyers. Primm had its new Sheriff, Rojo had a new destination.
During the trek to Novac he passed through a town called Nipton - a sight to behold, with many of the buildings on fire and residents struck up on crosses. Unable to help his morbid curiosity, Rojo ventured further into the town and met the invading force: a branch of Caesar's Legion, led by the formidable Vulpes Inculta. It is Vulpes who told Rojo, with no remorse and even some pride, that it was them who'd terrorized the town so - it was their judgment for their sins. He explained he wasn't going to kill Rojo and was actually glad that he had stopped by, because now he could spread the word of the Legion's coming to the NCR. With that said, he and the rest of the Legion forces there left, leaving Rojo to continue on to Novac.
Reaching Novac, he spoke with the town's sniper, a man by the name of Manny Vargas who had once been affiliated with the Khans. He charmed the man into telling him information about Benny and the two men he'd been traveling with - but he repayed the favor by promising to help the town and clear out ghouls from the nearby REPCONN test site, where the people of Novac collected junk to sell and make their living off of. He also learned from Manny about a second sniper who took over nights for him, a man by the name of Craig Boone; curious about the other's predicament, he stuck around until nightfall and spoke to Boone.
At first short and cold with Rojo, Boone changed his mind after a while and asked for Rojo's assistance with a personal issue: Boone's wife Carla had been sold off to the Legion, and Boone wanted to find and kill the one who had done it. He suspected it was someone in Novac but none of the citizens would so much as look him in the eye anymore, and he didn't want anyone figuring out his suspicions lest the Legion be called down on him next - something he didn't want happening until he dealt with this business. Rojo agreed to help and took to asking around the town, an endeavor that paid off in the strangest way when a man by the name of No-Bark Noonan, as crazy as a fox, spoke of some shifty business he'd witnessed going on one night in the lobby of the Dino De-Lite, the town's hotel. Sneaking in late at night, Rojo discovered a safe behind the front desk, and picking it led to a grim discovery: a bill of sale, pinning the otherwise friendly owner and mayor of Novac, Jeannie-May Crawford, as Carla's seller. Bill in hand, he went to Jeannie's home in the middle of the night and feigned concern over something happening in front of the town; Jeannie, oblivious as to what was about to happen, followed him to the spot where Boone had told Rojo to stand with the culprit. Rojo signaled Boone, and the sniper killed Jeannie with one shot. The bill of sale, shown to him after the kill, was all the proof Boone needed to see to be assured he'd gotten the right person. Rojo convinced Boone to accompany him and left Novac with the other sniper in tow, heading for Boulder City as Manny had told him.
When he arrived, he found a tense situation - the city had been closed off and surrounded by NCR soldiers, who were keeping close watch on a group of Khans inside who'd taken some people hostage. Convincing the NCR soldier on duty that he could speak with the Khans and help resolve the situation without bloodshed, Rojo entered the city with Boone and spoke with the Khans, convincing them to release the hostages in return for safe passage out of the city - and at the same time learning that Benny had shortchanged his Khan companions, taking off for Vegas and the Tops casino without paying them for their help. Convincing the NCR soldier on duty to ignore his orders to shoot the Khans despite the peaceful resolution, Rojo set off for New Vegas. It seemed like Rojo's revenge was finally at hand.
Rojo and Boone entered into Freeside, the fringe town surrounding the New Vegas Strip, and learned from a friendly resident that it would be impossible to enter the Strip without a passport or the proper amount of caps to pay for such at the gate. With the high cost of 2000 caps and Rojo lacking the funds, he took to scouring for odd jobs to amass the fee. During this he made another companion in the form of a doctor of the Followers of the Apocalypse, a man named Arcade Gannon, and discovered a cheaper way to get into the Strip - a fake passport made for a fourth of the price by a man named Ralph. Using the fake passport, Rojo enters the Strip.
Before he can head to the Tops, he was intercepted by Victor, who had traveled all the way from Goodsprings to New Vegas. He was a servant of Mr. House and told Rojo that House wanted to meet him. Loathe to put off his revenge, Rojo nonetheless took the short detour to the Lucky 38 to speak with the secretive Mr. House. Mr. House explained much of the situation to Rojo: how he was the one who had had Victor hire six couriers, five to carry bait items and a sixth to carry the precious Platinum Chip, speaking of the Chip's significance and requesting Rojo to retrieve it. In exchange, he gave the sniper free stay in the Presidential Suite of the casino. Rojo agreed, as it coincided with his revenge.
Finally entering the Tops, Rojo confronted Benny in the casino. Benny, more than startled to see the man he thought he'd killed, started backpedaling and insisted that they talk this out in his suite. Rojo didn't trust the man as far as he could throw him, but in the end he had no choice - his weapons had been taken at the door, and Benny had armed guards and the entirety of the casino on his side. If he tried to attack now, he'd only be gunned down. With no other choice, Rojo grudgingly went up to Benny's suite to wait for him.
Benny, as expected, never showed. He informed Rojo over the room's intercom that he was taking the Chip and going, knowing that if he went up to the room now he'd only be gunned down, and sent up thugs to try and kill Rojo once and for all. They were dispatched of, and an angered Rojo was ready to pursue... until he made a startling discovery in Benny's suite. in the form of a reprogrammed Securitron, appropriately named Yes Man, for the fact that his reprogramming made him helpful and obedient to whatever he was asked no matter who was asking. Under Rojo's questioning he revealed that Benny was conspiring to remove Mr. House's influence from Vegas by using the Platinum Chip to reprogram all the Securitrons in Vegas and killing Mr. House, and that the man was heading to Fotification Hill to carry out his plan - the base of Legion activity. With this info in hand, Rojo set off on Benny's trail, more determined than ever to see the man dead... and once that was over, then - and only then - would he figured out what to do with Vegas, being fought over by three separate superpowers: Mr. House, the New California Republic, and Caesar's Legion.
First Person Sample: Post @ dear_mun
Write it out Sample: The sun beat down harsh, but that was just a fact of life out in this region. If you weren't careful it would roast you alive, a deadly and more constant opposition than even the the Legion. If you didn't know how to live there, the wastes were an unforgiving mistress to contend with.
The heat didn't matter, though. Didn't matter as it sunk into his skin from the flat rock top he lay on, threading its way through the woven material of his clothing and pants, as it soaked into his back from above. Out here there was no chance to sweat, most days; humidity was nonexistent in the stretches of sand that were occasionally broken by what had once been well-traveled, well tended concrete and cement roads and settlements of various sizes and walls of mountains standing in the distance. It was a dry heat that rolled over the earth, a dry heat that didn't exist where he laid on the cliff edge, staring down the scope of his rifle with a finger lightly curled around the trigger and all the patience in the world.
He barely heard the buzzing behind him - a bloatfly, had to be, cazadores didn't settle out here. He ignored it, let the world outside of the slim tube of metal and glass disappear for the time being, and he waited.
And then he saw it. A man stumbling through the sand, running for his life, his features in sharp precision for him to take in, to be burned into his mind. It was an intimate moment that the man in his sights would never know about. Everything about his present situation was written clear as day all over his body, from the terrified expression on his face to the tatters in his clothing, the spots and trails of bright red blood over tanned skin. There were even facts about his life - the fine make of his clothing, how it was likely going to be expensive to repair the damage done by bullets, perhaps blades, the build of his body and the lack of lines on his face that gave hints toward a life lived in comfort rather than hardship. If he spent enough time watching him, he could probably know a lot more about the stranger now than would ever be revealed through a single conversation.
His finger tightened around the trigger. He swung the rifle to the left and took quick aim, squeezed off a shot, arms reflexively bracing against the recoil as the bullet left the chamber in a tiny explosion of gunpowder and a gout of flame. He watched the head of one of the raiders in pursuit explode in a gory shower of blood, skull fragments and brain matter; the body fell silently to the sands, left to the mercy of the desert. The other two stopped short, startled at the sudden loss of their fellow raider, and their hesitation made them easy pickings.
He swung the rifle to the right again. Watched the man in the fine clothing stare at the bodies in shock for a few long seconds before he picked up his head, looking around, obviously trying to figure out who had decided to save him.
For a split second he looked straight into the scope, straight into the sniper's eyes. Then he turned and was gone.
Rojo picked his head up, lifting a free hand to adjust the hat resting on his head, protecting his eyes from the sun. The world came back into focus in a rush of noise and sensation, almost overpowering as he moved to sit up, reaching into his pack to grab a bottle of water and drink the last of it down to soothe his dry throat. Reloaded the three spent bullets in his rifle. Adjusted his belongings on his person and stood, looking over the entity known as the Mojave, because to call it anything less was to show you knew nothing at all. It was a living, breathing thing, as dangerous as it was beautiful.
He took a breath, turned, stepped down from his perch and was gone.
Name/Nickname: Tori
Personal LJ: araphen
IM: mad circuitry
E-mail: shot_thecircuit@yahoo.com
Past Experiences: I'm clean in all the ways that count, ba-dum tiiiish.
Other Characters: N/A
The Character
Character Name: "Rojo" [a.k.a. "Courier #6"]
Character Journal: mojavemettle
Canon: Rojo is from the world of Fallout, a post-apocalyptic future in which civilization is struggling to reorganize itself. He specifically comes from Fallout: New Vegas, set in the year 2281, working as a courier for the Mojave Express who gets sucked into some unfortunate circumstances he wasn't exactly interested in being involved in.
Age: 36
Race: Human.
Timeline: After Benny flees from the Tops casino to take the Platinum Chip to Fortification Hill (post "Ring-a-Ding-Ding!")
Abilities/Powers: There is nothing supernatural to speak of about Rojo; he's entirely human from head to toe. Any abilities he has or anything he does, no matter how incredible, is well within human capabilities. The only thing that could be considered even close to supernatural might be his streak of luck, something that's kept him alive when he should have died and made his life a lot easier than it could have been. Other than that, he's extremely proficient with all things explosives, as well as handguns and conventional long-range firearms. He's at his best when he's got distance between him and his target and a sniper rifle in his hands, but he can also jury-rig a mine when needed and he's at least decent in hand-to-hand combat. No master at it, certainly, or even professionally trained, but enough to beat up other untrained thugs when needed. Or even to just buy himself enough time to get some distance between him and his enemy.
Power Limitations: I don't really believe he has anything that would really be notable enough to require limitation.
Inventory: x5 Stimpaks
x1 Machete
x1 Sniper rifle
x1 Whiskey
And a lot of caps. (WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T PAY FOR THINGS IN BOTTLECAPS???)
Personality: Rojo can be described, in the simplest terms, as a social butterfly. He's an easy conversationalist with a disarming smile, not at all opposed to striking up a friendly chat with a random stranger when he feels the urge. He likes talking and interacting with people, making them feel at ease if he can. But the 'butterfly' keeps him from making long-term attachments; he's constantly traveling from place to place, seeing new faces everywhere, so it's not worth the effort when he likely will never see someone again. Still, no reason not to share some words over a drink or two at the bar, right? It's a good way to get info too, among other things.
Naturally charismatic and charming, Rojo isn't above using this to get what he wants or needs, whether it's money, info or something else, and then beating a quick retreat. Still, he's a decent guy and tries not to make a habit of this; if he does charm something out of someone, he at least will try to return the favor in some way, whether it's helping out with some task or just buying a round for them. The only exceptions are in the cases of people who are jerks or otherwise assholes - in that case, he feels no shame in skipping the charm to go straight into intimidation and then running off. He can be something of a cold bastard when he really needs to be or when he feels someone's behavior calls for it.
His skill and luck, how he's been raised off the land, everything he's survived and all the kills he's made - it results in a good amount of confidence. He takes pride in his abilities and isn't adverse to showing off if he gets the chance. This can give him something of a smart mouth at times as well, and also means he puts on a front when things have reached frightening or disturbing levels for him; good luck seeing past his poker face to figure that out, though. It also makes him something of a risk taker, a gambler with the odds, both at the casinos and out - but he always remains conscientious of the safety of himself and others. Or tries.
He subscribes to a school of thought he's been raised with since childhood - 'protect your own'. Whether it's just himself and his worldly treasures, his family or people he has, somehow, formed strong bond with, it means protecting that and them above everything else. He will not get himself and the ones he cares for involved in a situation that doesn't concern them unnecessarily, not unless he can be completely certain no/minimal harm will come to them. He's not heartless, but he's also not willing to risk those he cares for to stick his neck out for people he doesn't know. In this respect, he doesn't like getting mixed up in business that he thinks is bigger than him - convoluted plans for Vegas included. Conversely, this means that if you fuck with him or someone he cares for? He'll be gunning to take your head as a trophy. It also means he can be something of a really bad grudge-bearer when it comes down to it. Just ask Benny about it.
When you get on his bad side, Rojo can be downright cold and malicious. He's not at all adverse to the idea of killing, and he also knows that sometimes, there really are fates worse than death. At the very least, he believes wholeheartedly that the punishment should fit the crime when it comes down to it and tries not to deal out more than he believes someone deserves, and unless he's hired or specifically ask edhe will not deal out punishment to people who have not wronged him or those he cares for, unless they stand to do just that in the future. He knows all of his actions have consequences, especially in the wasteland, and tries to make sure all of his are worth the potential consequences.
But sometimes, sometimes - some things are worth any consequence.
History: "Rojo", as he introduces himself to anybody who asks, was born in a little community in New Mexico in 2246 to a couple who were trying to live as decent a life as one could get in the post-war US. Something of a difficult task, when all around them were various tribes warring in the day-to-day, often attacking caravans passing from one town to another, but they did what they could - and taught any raiders who thought them an easy target a lesson they weren't likely to forget. His father worked as a hunter/trader, helping to bring food and clothing material to the town, while his mother was a seamstress. And for a while it was just fine, until word started getting around of a tribe going around conquering and absorbing other tribes, amassing and growing. At first his parents dismissed the rumors, figuring they would be taken out soon enough; that was just how tribes were. But when they weren't, when rumors began to circulate of them actually heading toward New Mexico?
Well, the family heeded it, packing up what they could and fleeing into Texas. The state was in worse shape than New Mexico from the bombs that had hit it, but they managed to settle in well enough and scratch out something of a decent living off the land. Better yet, it was never bothered by the tribal army that would eventually become known and feared as Caesar's Legion.
It was from his father that Rojo learned his way around guns and explosives, his mother how to repair things like clothing, and from both of them came the knowledge of how to live off the land. When he came of age and skill he began accompanying caravans and travelers as protection, an escort service and gun-for-hire in one, working to help support his family as they took care of things back home. When he hit Nevada and the Mojave, he decided to sign up with the Mojave Express on the side, adding courier to his resume.
It's this decision that lead to all the shit he's now involved in.
One fateful day, Rojo was called to Primm and hired to carry a rather strange package; a gambling chip made out of solid platinum, to be delivered to a "Mr. House" on the New Vegas Strip. The money was good, and it seemed a harmless enough job, so he accepted - only to be intercepted around Goodsprings by a man in a checkered suit and two companions. The man in the checkered suit was named Benny, and he would become something of an obsession for Rojo after stealing his package, putting two bullets in his head and leaving him for dead in a shallow grave in Goodsprings cemetery.
The attack didn't kill Rojo in the end, by some incredible stroke of luck, and he was saved by a Securitron named Victor who dug him up and brought him to Dr. Mitchell in Goodsprings to be fixed up. He woke up in Goodsprings, as healed as he was going to get from his near-brush with death, taken care of by the kindly doctor who gave him some things for the road and potential leads to his attackers before seeing him off. He stuck around Goodsprings for a while, making sure he was fit for the road, helping out around town and gathering information, but eventually he took to the road once more. His destination? Primm.
Except Primm was undergoing some turmoil of its own, overrun by escaped convicts from the nearby NCR holding facility. Learning from Johnson Nash that the convicts had killed the Sheriff and taken the Deputy hostage, he took to clearing out the town to help the citizens and saved Beagle, the Deputy - who gave him more info on Benny in exchange for Rojo deciding to help the town find itself a new Sheriff. The man he chose for the job was Meyers, arrested by the NCR for taking a little too of the law into his own hands but who seemed to be accepted as a good choice by the citizens. Traveling to the NCR correctional facility to the north, where the convicts had originally escaped from, he spoke to Meyers who said he'd take on the job - but only after he got a pardon from the NCR. With the Mojave Outpost on the way to where he was heading anyway, Rojo agreed and convinced Major Knight to give him the requested pardon, then delivered it back to Meyers. Primm had its new Sheriff, Rojo had a new destination.
During the trek to Novac he passed through a town called Nipton - a sight to behold, with many of the buildings on fire and residents struck up on crosses. Unable to help his morbid curiosity, Rojo ventured further into the town and met the invading force: a branch of Caesar's Legion, led by the formidable Vulpes Inculta. It is Vulpes who told Rojo, with no remorse and even some pride, that it was them who'd terrorized the town so - it was their judgment for their sins. He explained he wasn't going to kill Rojo and was actually glad that he had stopped by, because now he could spread the word of the Legion's coming to the NCR. With that said, he and the rest of the Legion forces there left, leaving Rojo to continue on to Novac.
Reaching Novac, he spoke with the town's sniper, a man by the name of Manny Vargas who had once been affiliated with the Khans. He charmed the man into telling him information about Benny and the two men he'd been traveling with - but he repayed the favor by promising to help the town and clear out ghouls from the nearby REPCONN test site, where the people of Novac collected junk to sell and make their living off of. He also learned from Manny about a second sniper who took over nights for him, a man by the name of Craig Boone; curious about the other's predicament, he stuck around until nightfall and spoke to Boone.
At first short and cold with Rojo, Boone changed his mind after a while and asked for Rojo's assistance with a personal issue: Boone's wife Carla had been sold off to the Legion, and Boone wanted to find and kill the one who had done it. He suspected it was someone in Novac but none of the citizens would so much as look him in the eye anymore, and he didn't want anyone figuring out his suspicions lest the Legion be called down on him next - something he didn't want happening until he dealt with this business. Rojo agreed to help and took to asking around the town, an endeavor that paid off in the strangest way when a man by the name of No-Bark Noonan, as crazy as a fox, spoke of some shifty business he'd witnessed going on one night in the lobby of the Dino De-Lite, the town's hotel. Sneaking in late at night, Rojo discovered a safe behind the front desk, and picking it led to a grim discovery: a bill of sale, pinning the otherwise friendly owner and mayor of Novac, Jeannie-May Crawford, as Carla's seller. Bill in hand, he went to Jeannie's home in the middle of the night and feigned concern over something happening in front of the town; Jeannie, oblivious as to what was about to happen, followed him to the spot where Boone had told Rojo to stand with the culprit. Rojo signaled Boone, and the sniper killed Jeannie with one shot. The bill of sale, shown to him after the kill, was all the proof Boone needed to see to be assured he'd gotten the right person. Rojo convinced Boone to accompany him and left Novac with the other sniper in tow, heading for Boulder City as Manny had told him.
When he arrived, he found a tense situation - the city had been closed off and surrounded by NCR soldiers, who were keeping close watch on a group of Khans inside who'd taken some people hostage. Convincing the NCR soldier on duty that he could speak with the Khans and help resolve the situation without bloodshed, Rojo entered the city with Boone and spoke with the Khans, convincing them to release the hostages in return for safe passage out of the city - and at the same time learning that Benny had shortchanged his Khan companions, taking off for Vegas and the Tops casino without paying them for their help. Convincing the NCR soldier on duty to ignore his orders to shoot the Khans despite the peaceful resolution, Rojo set off for New Vegas. It seemed like Rojo's revenge was finally at hand.
Rojo and Boone entered into Freeside, the fringe town surrounding the New Vegas Strip, and learned from a friendly resident that it would be impossible to enter the Strip without a passport or the proper amount of caps to pay for such at the gate. With the high cost of 2000 caps and Rojo lacking the funds, he took to scouring for odd jobs to amass the fee. During this he made another companion in the form of a doctor of the Followers of the Apocalypse, a man named Arcade Gannon, and discovered a cheaper way to get into the Strip - a fake passport made for a fourth of the price by a man named Ralph. Using the fake passport, Rojo enters the Strip.
Before he can head to the Tops, he was intercepted by Victor, who had traveled all the way from Goodsprings to New Vegas. He was a servant of Mr. House and told Rojo that House wanted to meet him. Loathe to put off his revenge, Rojo nonetheless took the short detour to the Lucky 38 to speak with the secretive Mr. House. Mr. House explained much of the situation to Rojo: how he was the one who had had Victor hire six couriers, five to carry bait items and a sixth to carry the precious Platinum Chip, speaking of the Chip's significance and requesting Rojo to retrieve it. In exchange, he gave the sniper free stay in the Presidential Suite of the casino. Rojo agreed, as it coincided with his revenge.
Finally entering the Tops, Rojo confronted Benny in the casino. Benny, more than startled to see the man he thought he'd killed, started backpedaling and insisted that they talk this out in his suite. Rojo didn't trust the man as far as he could throw him, but in the end he had no choice - his weapons had been taken at the door, and Benny had armed guards and the entirety of the casino on his side. If he tried to attack now, he'd only be gunned down. With no other choice, Rojo grudgingly went up to Benny's suite to wait for him.
Benny, as expected, never showed. He informed Rojo over the room's intercom that he was taking the Chip and going, knowing that if he went up to the room now he'd only be gunned down, and sent up thugs to try and kill Rojo once and for all. They were dispatched of, and an angered Rojo was ready to pursue... until he made a startling discovery in Benny's suite. in the form of a reprogrammed Securitron, appropriately named Yes Man, for the fact that his reprogramming made him helpful and obedient to whatever he was asked no matter who was asking. Under Rojo's questioning he revealed that Benny was conspiring to remove Mr. House's influence from Vegas by using the Platinum Chip to reprogram all the Securitrons in Vegas and killing Mr. House, and that the man was heading to Fotification Hill to carry out his plan - the base of Legion activity. With this info in hand, Rojo set off on Benny's trail, more determined than ever to see the man dead... and once that was over, then - and only then - would he figured out what to do with Vegas, being fought over by three separate superpowers: Mr. House, the New California Republic, and Caesar's Legion.
First Person Sample: Post @ dear_mun
Write it out Sample: The sun beat down harsh, but that was just a fact of life out in this region. If you weren't careful it would roast you alive, a deadly and more constant opposition than even the the Legion. If you didn't know how to live there, the wastes were an unforgiving mistress to contend with.
The heat didn't matter, though. Didn't matter as it sunk into his skin from the flat rock top he lay on, threading its way through the woven material of his clothing and pants, as it soaked into his back from above. Out here there was no chance to sweat, most days; humidity was nonexistent in the stretches of sand that were occasionally broken by what had once been well-traveled, well tended concrete and cement roads and settlements of various sizes and walls of mountains standing in the distance. It was a dry heat that rolled over the earth, a dry heat that didn't exist where he laid on the cliff edge, staring down the scope of his rifle with a finger lightly curled around the trigger and all the patience in the world.
He barely heard the buzzing behind him - a bloatfly, had to be, cazadores didn't settle out here. He ignored it, let the world outside of the slim tube of metal and glass disappear for the time being, and he waited.
And then he saw it. A man stumbling through the sand, running for his life, his features in sharp precision for him to take in, to be burned into his mind. It was an intimate moment that the man in his sights would never know about. Everything about his present situation was written clear as day all over his body, from the terrified expression on his face to the tatters in his clothing, the spots and trails of bright red blood over tanned skin. There were even facts about his life - the fine make of his clothing, how it was likely going to be expensive to repair the damage done by bullets, perhaps blades, the build of his body and the lack of lines on his face that gave hints toward a life lived in comfort rather than hardship. If he spent enough time watching him, he could probably know a lot more about the stranger now than would ever be revealed through a single conversation.
His finger tightened around the trigger. He swung the rifle to the left and took quick aim, squeezed off a shot, arms reflexively bracing against the recoil as the bullet left the chamber in a tiny explosion of gunpowder and a gout of flame. He watched the head of one of the raiders in pursuit explode in a gory shower of blood, skull fragments and brain matter; the body fell silently to the sands, left to the mercy of the desert. The other two stopped short, startled at the sudden loss of their fellow raider, and their hesitation made them easy pickings.
He swung the rifle to the right again. Watched the man in the fine clothing stare at the bodies in shock for a few long seconds before he picked up his head, looking around, obviously trying to figure out who had decided to save him.
For a split second he looked straight into the scope, straight into the sniper's eyes. Then he turned and was gone.
Rojo picked his head up, lifting a free hand to adjust the hat resting on his head, protecting his eyes from the sun. The world came back into focus in a rush of noise and sensation, almost overpowering as he moved to sit up, reaching into his pack to grab a bottle of water and drink the last of it down to soothe his dry throat. Reloaded the three spent bullets in his rifle. Adjusted his belongings on his person and stood, looking over the entity known as the Mojave, because to call it anything less was to show you knew nothing at all. It was a living, breathing thing, as dangerous as it was beautiful.
He took a breath, turned, stepped down from his perch and was gone.